Doctor Jones and Nurse Jackie
by Nagareboshi-Aitoshuu
Summary: The laughter and drama of the hospital is just all in a day's work for Dr. Alfred F. Jones and his ever-sarcastic Nurse Jackie.
1. READ ME FIRST!

**READ ME!:**

**Now before you proceed reading "Dr. Jones and Nurse Jackie," here's a couple of things to remember:**

**-the O.C. referred to as "Nurse Jackie" is pretty much the same character from "A Year at the World Academy," but I found the naming so fortunate that I simply had to take advantage of it**

**-NAMES… A lot of the Hetalia characters that will be mentioned have not been given human names. The names that I will provide for such characters are based off of popular fan-names and possible names according to Himuraya.**

Cuba: Carlos Machado

Denmark: Mathias Køhler

Hong Kong: Li Xiao Chun (Lei Siu Chun in Cantonese), Leon (English nickname)

Iceland: Emil Steilsson

Liechtenstein: Eva Vogel

Norway: Lukas Bondevik

Taiwan: Xiao Mei

Belgium: Laura Nifterick

Netherlands: Hendrick Nifterick

Australia: Jett Kirkland

**-Just…enjoy! It's just a fanfiction, don't take this all too seriously.**

_**Nagareboshi-Aitoshuu**_


	2. Who's Yo' Doctor?

_Doctor Jones and Nurse Jackie_

**Chapter 1: Who's Yo' Doctor?**

"W-What?"

"_Ja_?"

"You're really leaving?..."

"…I'm sorry, but it's true. As much as I hate to be leaving all of you behind, I just can't turn down this position."

She had worked for him for four years in the insanely busy Hetalia International Hospital stationed in Manhattan, New York, quite fitting to have a busy hospital in the middle of a busy city.

"Hm, I see…," the nurse tossed a lock of jet black hair behind her shoulders. "Well, I guess, … good luck."

'And don't bother coming back.,' she thought bitterly at Dr. Beilschmidt. She knew that she should be supportive and happy for him, but why would he just drop everything and leave just because he gets an offer back in Germany? Didn't he leave to get a job here in the first place? The nurse sighed thinking, 'Doctors these days…'

Ludwig Beilschmidt, one of the top surgeons at Hetalia International for four years, turned to take his last steps through the entrance's automatic doors. However, the surgeon stopped himself for a moment or two. He knew that he couldn't just leave his closest co-worker hanging, on the brink of snapping in the middle of the hospital lobby.

Turning around and managing to muster a decent smile, he said, "It was great working with you… take care of yourself." With that said, he left.

* * *

><p>"O.K., everybody!," Nurse Jackie yelled at the gathered staff.<p>

It had been months since Dr. Beilschmidt left, and Hetalia International had been scrambling to find a new doctor that was close to his kind of medical caliber.

"The new surgeon coming in is Dr. Beilschmidt's replacement, as most of you know already.," she started. "According to the papers that the administration sent me, he's nearly fresh out of med school and praised as a genius. Whether or not he's just a spineless bookworm, I don't know. But one thing's for sure: we're not showing him any mercy just 'cause he's the new guy, right?"

"Yeah!"

"Sure!"

"Let's test the kid, right?"

The medical mob seemed to agree with her.

"Now with that out of the way, GET BACK TO WORK!," this nurse commanded the staff like the tyrant she is in the hospital's Emergency Room.

However, that tyranny and strictness helped keep the Emergency Room moving fast in an already demanding hospital. For the last four years, she was also that fresh out of med school bookworm who had no experience in the real world. Abandoning her naïve premonitions on working in a hospital (you know, all of that 'saving lives' crap?), she eventually caught on with the cycle of life (and death) at Hetalia International.

As far as Nurse Jacqueline Reapere was concerned, every employee other than her and a select few were in the medical business for one thing and one thing only: _the money._ Her philosophy was: nowadays, there are stupid people, and stupid people get hurt. That's why hospitals exist. Apparently, judging from the myriad of people that come in the Emergency Room, she believes that there's a lot of stupid people in the world. Because of this demand for medical assistance and the promise of big money, everybody's getting into it. Heck, half of the college students that she talks to switch from their dream major to nursing to make sure that they get a secure, safe, guaranteed, and large paycheck.

Of course from time to time, she thought that she herself is the hypocrite in all this. She gave up her dreams for nursing, at one point too. So who was she to judge kids nowadays giving up dreams for financial security? Her thoughts were interrupted as a huge commotion erupted with the glamorous arrival of the new doctor.

"_A-Ano_, (basically, it's like saying 'um' in Japanese) the new doctor is in the lobby waiting for you…," Kiku, a foreign exchange college student from Japan, stuck his head into the nurse's office. As a new intern at Hetalia International, he was still very shy, especially around senior staff members.

"Thanks Kiku.," she replied, putting down a couple of papers and ran down the hallway into a growing crowd of swooning female interns. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Don't be so jealous!"

"_You_ get to work with this guy everyday!"

"Yeah, what're the chances that the hospital would nab a cute new doctor!"

"_Excuse me?_," Nurse Jackie screamed, her black heels clacking louder than ever towards the doctor in question.

"Now, now, now… there's no need to have my new lovely assistant's blood pressure shoot up like crazy over me! Let's just get back to work, and back to saving lives!," boy, his 'lovely assistant' was not liking her new co-worker, _at all._

"Dr. …Jones, I presume?," his 'new lovely assistant' held a clipboard in one hand and the other on her hip. Clad in the traditional nurse's cap and gown, she already looked like that no-nonsense kind of woman. She waited for the doctor's response while smoothing out the crinkles in her gown's lower half that went all the way down to the middle of her calves.

"Yeah! Dr. Jones. Alfred F. Jones, if ya wanna get technical. That's me!," the tall blonde man with glasses in a doctor's coat beamed. "Consider yourself lucky, 'cause I've never lost a patient before!-"

"Mm-hm…," Ms. Reapere retorted. "Sure, whatever. You've got your first patient of the day, Dr. Jones." Her pen pointed to the name on the clipboard of the first poor soul- I mean, patient.

"Gah, I don't know how to pronounce their name!," Dr. Jones' brain spent a good half a minute or so computing the patient's name's pronunciation.

"He's Toris Lorithuanis.," the nurse said. "Just sent in last night, a failed suicide attempt." She proceeded to shake her head. "The poor kid…"

"Well, what're we standin' around her in the lobby for? Let's go save some lives!," Dr. Jones grabbed her wrist before she could even direct him to where his patient was waiting.

* * *

><p>"Who's yo' doctor?," Dr. Jones bursted through Mr. Lorithuanis' door with a huge, charismatic smile.<p>

"Uh…?," the patient sat in his bed, a bit dumbfounded. Is this guy a doctor or a motivational speaker?

"So… what's the problem here?," the doctor then proceeded to look at his patient's charts. "Ah, it says here that you were just brought into the hospital just last night?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Hmm… overdose of sleeping pills- hey, so you tried to kill yourself?," Dr. Jones continued reading, shocked.

"U-Um… uh-," Toris was a bit ashamed to explain.

"O.K., can't you wait? You're confusing the patient!," Nurse Reapere had finally caught up with the doctor who had taken off from the hospital lobby. "And yes, it was an unsuccessful suicide, I _just_ told you that!"

"Oh, O.K.!," Dr. Jones continued on as if he hadn't made a mistake in the first place. "Well, you're gonna pull though, Toris! And don't worry about the whole trying to kill yourself thing! Hetalia International's got the therapist that'll talk you out of it forever!"

Toris stared at the doctor like he was insane. The present nurse facepalmed, right then and there. While the doctor went on rambling, Ms. Reapere explained, "Don't worry, I'm a personal friend of the therapist, Ms. O'Bride, she knows what she's doing."

Speaking of the resident therapist at Hetalia International, Ms. O'Bride came to the United States from her native Ireland to extend her college education on psychology and eventually end up living and working in one of the most diverse cities in the world.

"Like, where is he?," a voice yelled from outside the room.

A college classmate and friend of Toris, Felicks Łukasiewicz, came rushing in.

"Toris! Like, are you O.K.?," he asked his friend worriedly, ignoring Dr. Jones' ranting.

"I'm fine Feliks…," Toris replied weakly.

"He'll be fine, Mr. Łukasiewicz.," the nurse put a hand on his shoulder. "Once the doctor and I are done here, you can stay for the remainder of the visiting hours today. Does that sound fair?"

"Yeah, O.K.," Feliks complied, although he still had his doubts about these strange doctors and nurses, he stepped outside.

"Well, this is a dramatic start to working here, right?," Dr. Jones asked, breaking the newfound silence in the room. "Before I go, do you mind telling me why you wanted to kill yourself?-"

"Dr. Jones!," Nurse Jackie interjected, appalled.

"W-Well…," Toris looked down at his hands. "…I believe _she _comes by here a lot, doesn't she?"

"Who?," Dr. Jones asked, confused.

"Natalia Arlovskaya.," Toris sighed, lookingly dreamily out his room's window since the woman in question just so happened to be walking past his room.

"Oh, you mean Dr. Braginski's sister?," the nurse raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Yeah, but she likes her brother so much more than me, and he doesn't like her back the same way I do…"

"Ah, a classic love triangle scenario!," Dr. Jones proclaimed.

"You do realize that we're talking about Dr. Braginski and his _sister_?," Nurse Jackie clarified again.

"Now there's incest? Boy, no offense, but this situation's messed up.," Dr. Jones said. "Well, the therapist will be with you in a few hours, get well soon!"

Dr. Jones and Nurse Jackie then abruptly left the room.

* * *

><p>'Well, that went better than expected.,' Nurse Jackie thought, assuming that the worst was over. Looking over to her new doctor, she stopped the two of them to present his new office, Dr. Beilschmidt's former office. "I believe this is where your room is."<p>

She took out the keys that her last doctor had given her before he left and opened the door.

"Whoa, lots of room!," Dr. Jones immediately beamed at the appearance of his new office space. "This'll be great!"

"Ahem.," Nurse Jackie interrupted him. "I don't believe that I've properly introduced myself yet."

"Hm, why don't I just give you a nickname! Is your real name long and hard to remember?," Dr. Jones asked.

"N-No, it's-," Nurse Jackie interrupted herself. "I'm Jacqueline Reapere. People around here just call me Jackie. Although, I would prefer Ms. Reapere-"

"Eh, I'll just call you Jackie.," Dr. Jones interrupted once more. "It's easier to remember! And you can just call me Alfred, Alfie, whatever. Dr. Jones is too formal!"

"Too… formal?," Ms. Reapere asked. "But this relationship is strictly business and professional-"

"Whoa! We're gonna be working together. It just can't all be business! Really, we're gonna be saving _lives_ together, we'll be heroes!," Alfred proclaimed.

'Heroes?,' the nurse thought. 'That's new.'

"Gah, you're too uptight, ya gotta _relax_, ya know?," Dr. Jones slumped into his new swivel chair at his desk.

Relax was a dreaded word to use in Ms. Reapere's vocabulary, unfortunately Dr. Jones didn't know that already. Everyone at Hetalia International agreed that she was so strict and uptight. Most had assumed that it was a result of working beside Dr. Ludwig Beilschmidt. Whether it was the Dr. Beilschmidt effect or not, Dr. Jones was determined to turn his new nurse's attitude upside-down.

_To be continued_


	3. Well, This is New

_Doctor Jones and Nurse Jackie_

**Chapter 2:**** Well, **_**This**_** is New…**

Nurse Reapere knew that she shouldn't have taken the night shift for the weekend. New York City was well-known for its nightlife… and the bums that would end up on the streets afterwards. She anticipated the sudden influx of patients, but found something rather… odd.

"_Sumimasen_ (Excuse me, in Japanese), Miss Reapere.," Kiku poked his head into the door, spying the nurse keeping herself entertained with a swivel chair.

"Chair goes 'round… chair goes 'round…," she droned, spinning around in circles.

"There's something outside the hospital.," Kiku pointed towards the exit.

"Just what is it?"

"Um, you'll have to see for yourself…"

* * *

><p>"Well! …Um, <em>this<em> is new.," Nurse Jackie was left completely flabbergasted at the sight of this albino adult male, possibly totally wasted, unconscious in an abandoned grocery cart.

"I found him while I was getting the other staff some coffee.," Kiku explained. "What should we do?-"

"What do you _mean_ 'what should we do?' Get the poor man a stretcher! Alert the ER!," she yelled, and Kiku ran off back inside. Then, she proceeded to try and check the man's vitals. "Hello? I'm not too sure if you're unconscious or just hungover, but can you hear me? Sir!"

"Ughhhhhh…," the albino droned.

'Yesh! He still reeks of alcohol!,' Jackie recoiled from the proximity of his face. Then, the other staff members finally showed up with a stretcher and everything. "Took you people long enough! He's probably been out here for hours!"

The rest of the staff ignored her reprimanding, whereas inside, Dr. Alfred Jones was enjoying the show while he consulted his patient, Toris Laurinaitis

"Ah, my new assistant can certainly talk up a storm.," Alfred chuckled.

Toris nervously tried to laugh.

"Dude! Laugh a little! It won't kill you!," the doctor stared at his timid patient with curious eyes. "Stop acting so tense all the time, maybe if I call Ms. Arlovskaya in-"

"No!," Toris interrupted. "I mean, …please, no… if you don't mind?"

"Eh, it's all cool.," Alfred shrugged at the matter. "She's probably busy running around for Doctor Braginski or something."

Toris then looked down at his hands in dismay. "Well, that's the thing… All she ever cares about is him-"

"Hm? Really?," Alfred interjected, a little surprised. "That probably has something to do with it, but Dr. Braginski has been out for a while. The council here said that he desperately needs this transplant operation or something."

"W-What?," Toris replied. "That's terrible! What happened?"

"I don't know, Miss Arlovskaya refuses to let me hear anything about it. But at the moment, they can't seem to find any donors for the operation, so she and her sister are nearly at their wits' end.," Alfred shook his head in pity.

"But just what does he need?-"

"THE _NERVE _THESE PEOPLE!"

Both Doctor Jones and Toris nearly jumped at Nurse Jackie's exclamation.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Mr. Laurinaitis!," she gasped and lowered her head apologetically.

"It's no problem Miss Reapere.," he reassure her.

"Yeah, we're all kind of lettin' it all out, you know? Get some things off our chests.," Alfred explained.

"Actually, we were just talking about Dr. Braginski-"

"Oh, he's our dental surgeon at Hetalia International, and in desperate need for a heart transplant…," Jackie explained. "His poor sisters have been worried sick."

"Did they find a donor? Or? What's wrong?"

"We've had to scramble to find substitute dentists, dental surgeons, and all that in his absence.," she continued to explain. "His surgery's taking place sometime next week."

"Well that's a relief.," Toris sighed.

"Speaking of relief," Dr. Jones said. "_You_ didn't look too happy coming in."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that.," the nurse replied. "It's just that there was this poor guy passed out or something in an abandoned grocery cart outside the hospital, and no one noticed him until Kiku came and told me."

"Ugh, how's he now?," Alfred asked.

"I don't know, the Emergency Room just took him in, but I'm pretty sure that it's an alcohol-related incident.," she continued. "The other staff members here just freaking irritate me!- Well, maybe with the exception of a few people."

"Eh, you two have the same problem: you've gotta _relaaaaax_!," Dr. Jones said.

"Relax?," Toris asked again for confirmation.

"How can I relax when I'm working with complete knuckleheads?," Miss Reapere yelled.

"Um, I guess I can give that a try…," Toris replied, totally opposite from how the nurse reacted.

Suddenly, Kiku the intern poked his head through the door once more. "Um, Miss Reapere?"

"Yeah?," she immediately calmed down, knowing that it was Kiku. Despite the communication problems they had every now and again, she didn't label him as an 'idiot.' "What is it?"

"They think that albino man has alcohol poisoning-"

"SEE WHAT I MEAN?," yet another outburst.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What do you mean?," Alfred asked, confused.

"O.K., you find a man just reeking of alcohol passed out or something in an abandoned grocery cart in from of a hospital, doesn't that scenario just scream 'alcohol poisoning?,'" Nurse Jackie explained.

"Hm, but you can never be too sure-"

"_A-Ano,_ they're also calling for Dr. Jones as well.," Kiku added, then left the room.

"Alrighty! Well, Toris, I gotta go. Later!," Alfred gave a little wave before leaving, accompanied with the ranting nurse. "Oh! I forgot! The therapist Miss O'Bride will be coming in a bit, 'kay?"

Before Toris could reply, the doctor was off already ranting about his next 'heroic' deed in trying to help an albino with alcohol poisoning.

Just as Dr. Jones had promised, a young woman with short fiery red hair and a freckled face came in with a clip board. She came off as a woman with a bouncy, bubbly personality. On the contrary, she introduced herself to Toris with a professional attitude.

"Hi, I'm Ms. O'Bride.," she extended her hand as he hesitantly shook it. "I'm a therapist here at Hetalia International, and Dr. Jones has suggested that you attend some weekly sessions with me. Understand everything so far?"

"Yes, but I have classes and-"

"No need to worry, the hospital has contacted and consulted your professors and staff at your university. The sessions won't interfere with your classes. They'll be on the weekends, so you won't have class anyway. Sound good?," Erin explained.

"Thank you, Ms. …?," Toris momentarily forgot the therapist's formal title.

"O'Bride, but you can just call me Erin.," she happily replied, turned toward the door and said, "See you in a week!"

Striding through the eerily quiet hospital hallways, Erin flipped through the papers on her clipboard. It had only been a while ago when she first joined the staff at Hetalia International, so Toris is one of her first few patients. A couple of more were scheduled to meet her over the next few weeks as the hospital continued to contact them: a Mr. Matthew Williams, Lovino and Feliciano Vargas, but the list of incoming patients is subject to change.

* * *

><p>"So, Mr. …Beilschmidt?," Dr. Alfred F. Jones began as he looked as his latest patient's charts.<p>

"_Ja,_ and who the heck are you?," Gilbert Beilschmidt's words still slurred as he spoke. It was hard to tell whether it was because of the painkillers or the remaining alcohol in his system.

"Who am I?," Dr. Jones asked him, surprised. "_Who am I?_ Well, Mr. Beilschmidt, I'm the HERO-!"

"Now, could you please tell us anything that you might remember prior to blacking out in the hospital parking lot?," Nurse Reapere cut off Dr. Jones during his little 'moment.'

"Ugh…," Gilbert scratched the back of his head , trying to think back through his recollection. "Aw, crap! I left him by himself?"

"Who? Who did you leave?-"

"Um, uh, Arthur! Oh _mein Gott_, what have I done?," Mr. Beilschmidt began to panic, pulling at his hair and everything.

"Wait a minute here! Just who's Arthur and why shouldn't you have left him?," Dr. Jones interjected.

"Heh, you have no idea of how freakin' _wasted_ he was when I left him!," Mr. Beilschmidt started rambling in his slurred speech. "Ah, I wonder where he wandered off to…"

Dr. Jones looked over to Nurse Jacqueline Reapeare with a confused look. Was Gilbert concerned for his fellow intoxicated friend or laughing at him?

"Uh, if you could give us his full name and stuff, maybe we'll find him for you.," Dr. Jones suggested. "That sound good?"

"Eh, sure, vhy not?," Gilbert's German accent began to sound more and more apparent as the conversation dragged on.

Then, the thought hit Nurse Reapere. Gilbert _Beilschmidt_? Perhaps he was that older brother that Dr. Ludwig Beilschmidt always talked about? She contemplated asking the man once Dr. Jones left.

"Well, it'll be a while until you sober up, so see ya later!," Dr. Jones cheerfully bid his clearly wasted patient good-bye.

Once she knew that the coast was clear, Nurse Jackie asked the patient, "You said your last name is Beilschmidt, right?"

"_Ja, _vhy do you ask?," Gilbert replied, words still slurred together.

"You wouldn't happen to have a brother named Ludwig who's a doctor, would you?-"

"Ha! Now how do you know Ludwig?-," Gilbert proceeded to laugh at the fact that a random nurse knew his little brother, but stopped as his mouth curved into a smirk. "Ah, I see it now!"

His crimson eyes, as bloodshot as they were at the moment, began to gleam as if he had some epiphany. "You must've had a thing for _mein bruder_ before he went back to Germany-," Gilbert nodded, as if in approval.

"NO! What! Why would you get that idea?," Nurse Jackie replied, surprised. "I just used to work with him before he…left, that's all."

"What's with that pause before you said 'left?,'" Gilbert asked. "Sound like you totally had a thing for _mein-"_

"We're getting off-topic, but how is he in Germany? How's his new job?," she asked him with genuine curiousity.

"Eh, he's vorking his ass off, if you're asking.," Gilbert said. "Hey, I didn't get _your_ name yet!"

"It's Jacqueline Reapere, now-"

"Oh_ mein Gott!_ You're! You're…that _Gott-_damned girl that _bruder _keeps asking about!," Gilbert's words slowly began to progress from sounding like a drunk bum.

"Wait, what?," Nurse Jackie asked again. "Just what does he say about me?"

"Eh, he's just worried about you losing your mind here, that's all.," Gilbert replied nonchalantly.

Nurse Reapere sighed, "At least it's nice to know that someone's thinking about me…"

* * *

><p>Miss O'Bride finally found her friend Nurse Reapere chilling in one of the vacant lounges on the first floor of the hospital. "I've been looking for you for hours! Just where have you been?"<p>

"Ugh, don't ask…," the nurse made tiny circles on her temples with her fingers, trying to soothe her throbbing head. "I finally found a link to Ludwig."

"That's great!," Erin said excitedly, taking a seat next to her friend. "How'd you figure that out?"

"His drunk of an older brother is one of the patients here, and he told me everything since he was so drunk he didn't care that a complete stranger was asking such questions."

"Guess you lucked out on that, right?"

"Yep."

"Now that you can talk to him, what're you going to say? I mean, it's been months since you've heard from him. He's a doctor that's obviously busy and doesn't necessarily have a lot of time on his hands."

"Well, I'll just have to figure that one out when I call him.," Miss Reapere replied as she looked at the small piece of paper that she had scribbled his number on. "Oh, and you're _so_ going to come with me and help me get a phone card that'll make calls to Germany."

"Of course-"

Suddenly the sound of screeching car tires broke through the silence. A muffled thud followed after, as if something had crashed into something.

"Ugh, duty calls, Erin.," Nurse Jackie jumped right into action, running toward the commotion down the block from the hospital.

"Go get 'em, soldier.," Erin mockingly saluted her medically knowledgeable friend.

_To be continued._


	4. Lost for Words

_Doctor Jones and Nurse Jackie_

**Chapter 3:**** Lost for Words**

Glancing through the automatic entrance doors, Nurse Jackie saw a disaster unfolding right before her eyes: drinking and driving. The supposedly intoxicated driver was swerving across the road before it finally came in contact with a poor street lamp.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me…," she muttered to herself before running off to yell at the paramedics to get moving. Seriously, when you have an accident that happens right in front of the hospital, it shouldn't take long to get the patient through the Emergency Room, right?

…_Right._

Dr. Jones was called to the E.R. to inspect the incoming patient from a car accident not too far from the hospital itself. Instantly springing into his "HERO" Mode, Dr. Jones was on a roll until he was almost stopped in his tracks by the growing crowd of gawking people.

"Excuse me, doctor coming through!," he tried to weave through the crowd of gawking bystanders. "Sorry, but gotta go save lives, ya know!"

Once he had managed to run through the hospital's automatic doors, he found his devoted nurse working side-by-side with the paramedics. As expected, she was the one barking out orders. He sighed, admiring how she tries to take a little bit of everyone's burdens at Hetalia International. But now was not the time to be thinking of such things. His nurse was at the potential patient's side. From the looks of it, the accident victim seemed calmer about the situation instead of the nurse.

She held his hand, already dripping in blood. "Sir! Can you hear me? I'm here to help you, please squeeze your hand if you can hear me, Sir!," the nurse yelled at him as if she was begging him to live. "Hey, you!" She stopped a panicking paramedic. "Did you find any identification on him?"

"He's…," the paramedic carefully handled the wallet that they had confiscated from the victim. "Arthur…Kirkland."

The idea hit her. This was probably that other patient Gilbert's drinking buddy. What luck she had finding him in such a scenario.

"Mr. Kirkland, can you hear me?"

* * *

><p>A voice, whose voice, he didn't know. All he knew at the moment is that it was a desperate voice filled with concern. It's been a while since anyone has ever been concerned about him.<p>

The last few moments all came back to Arthur in a blur. He should've never tried to talk to Peter on his cell phone while driving. Especially driving drunk. His 12-year-old brother had been scolding him on the other end of the line.

"_Where the bloody hell have you been?-"_

"_Who taught you to use that language at your older brother?," Arthur angrily retorted._

"_You say it all the bloody time, why can't I?"_

"_Just don't say it again. I'll be home soon, I promise-"_

"_Promise? You weren't here yesterday and you promised then too! Why should I believe you now?"_

"_I've been working late and long hours, Peter. I promise I'll be around a lot more now-"_

Crashing into the pole cut him off. Poor Peter must be panicking, trying to figure out what happened to his older brother. Arthur knew that he had to snap out of it and get back up on his feet. The big city is no place for a 12-year-old to be running around.

"He's opening his eyes! Get a stretcher ready!"

That voice again, he thought, probably a paramedic. He could hear the footsteps of the frantic medical staff around him. Arthur had to at least say something before they rolled him off to the ER and hook him up to some painkiller. Mustering the miniscule amount of strength he had left, Arthur finally opened his eyes. In front of him was a nurse with jet black hair, all in disarray. She had even gotten his blood on her white, immaculate uniform. What a pity, he thought, feeling bad for the nurse that was fussing over him.

"P-Please…get my brother on the phone for me-"

"Mr. Kirkland, I'm sorry but I can't do that.," the nurse sadly replied. "The ER staff will be shortly to put you on a stretcher, could this wait?-"

"No! It can't!," he pleaded. "I…I have to tell him-"

"Out of the way, Miss Reapere.," an ER staff member pushed the nurse aside as Arthur was lifted to a stretcher. Out of the corner of his eye, he could still see her frightened face, with an outstretched hand covered in blood.

"Hey, are you O.K.?," Dr. Jones asked the bloodstained nurse. "I'll get you a change of clothes-""No, it's alright.," she replied. "I have a spare uniform in my locker. I'll get it. _You _go tend to the patient."

And with that said, she sped off back into the hospital.

"I swear, she's gotta learn how to chill.," Dr. Jones crossed his arms before retreating back to the hospital himself.

* * *

><p>Before rejoining the chaos going on in the ER, Miss Reapeare retreated to the staff bathroom. Plopping the spare uniform on the side, she leaned over the sink and looked into the mirror. Her hair was in disarray, she was panting. The once immaculate white uniform was stained with the patient's blood. Her hands shook as she tried to clean them in the sink. The blood went down so deep it was embedded even in her fingernails.<p>

As a person who pursued the medical profession, blood is a very deep connection with a person. Never has the nurse ever had to stand by a bleeding patient who was too weak to even speak. The whole thought of it shook her mentality. Perhaps her pessimistic views on hospitals were a bit harsh, she thought. Normally, she would laugh at hopeless, weak people, and call them stupid, but this patient… he was _different_. For once, she was left speechless. Anyone who could get Nurse Reapere to shut up was definitely special or just intriguing in general.

* * *

><p>Fluorescent lights blinded Arthur as Dr. Jones continued to ramble.<p>

'Ugh, this damn doctor's voice…,' he thought to himself as the pounding in his head intensified with every passing second.

"So… can you tell me anything that happened before the accident?," Doctor Jones asked.

"I…I…," he still struggled to speak, but then suddenly sat upright in the hospital bed. "Peter! I have to tell him where I am! He's probably-"

"Wait, hold on a minute.," the doctor stopped the patient in his tracks again. "Who's Peter?"

"My brother, and he's probably worried sick! I didn't come home, what's the time?"

"2:30 A.M."

"Bloody hell! Is he even up at this hour! I need to call him! At least let him know that I'm alright!," Arthur insisted.

"Sorry, dude, but you're far from alright.," Alfred said, holding up some x-rays. "Fractured ribs and internal bleeding, you're not going anywhere for a while."

Arthur's heart sank as the doctor explained the current status of his health, which wasn't looking too good at the moment. Reclining back in the bed, he listened on as Doctor Jones further went on about his treatment and how long he would have to be hospitalized.

"I know this sounds like a lot, but don't worry, just relax and you'll be out of here in no time!," Doctor Jones said, trying to insert some optimism into the grave and serious conversation.

"But what about-"

"AND, we'll call your brother too, trust me, everything's gonna be taken care of.," he gave his patient a bright smile. "Just get some rest for now, my nurse will be here in a few to give you some painkillers. Later!"

With that said, he zoomed on out, ready to tackle on more patients that were coming in. However, beneath that happy-go-lucky exterior, Dr. Jones was thinking of his own brother, who had disappeared a good three years ago.

He had been reckless, still going through med school, and Alfred knew the consequences of drinking and driving. Matthew, his brother, unwillingly had tagged along with him to go to the campus party that night. His brother was always soft-spoken and sweet, so he naturally gave into Alfred's peer pressure. Although Matthew was technically older, he and Alfred almost had the same face, so people often mistook both of them for the other. That night, Alfred had insisted on driving, much to Matthew's discomfort. On the drive home, he and Alfred had fought over the wheel when suddenly, there was a flash of light and both of them were knocked out.

Once Alfred had woken up in the hospital, he learned that there had been a crash. Their car had collided with a truck. Of course, Alfred was scared to death about what had happened to Matthew. He had heard that in crashes, often the passenger tends to die, not the driver. Luckily, Matthew was not dead. Well, they weren't too sure if he was dead. At the scene of the accident once paramedics finally came, Matthew or his body were nowhere to be found. Police and search teams had spent weeks trying to find him, but to no avail. To this very day, Matthew was still missing.

* * *

><p>Her hands were slightly shaking with the tray full of painkillers. Needles, pills, all that good stuff. She took another glance at the name on the prescription's label: Arthur Kirkland. So that's his name?, she thought. Well, that didn't matter, she owed the hospital pharmacist Hendrick for giving her such good painkillers. But knowing that the patient had gone through a lot, he was going to need them.<p>

"Mr. Kirkland?," she calmly opened his door. The patient was sitting upright in his bed with a book in hand, writing.

"Hm?," he looked up slightly from his writing for a split second before abruptly closing the book and pushing it aside. "Oh, hello."

"Well, Doctor Jones had requested that you get these painkillers administered since the pain will only intensify by the hour.," she explained, putting the tray on a table, inserting a new solution into his IV drip.

"He's a rather…eccentric doctor, isn't he?"

"He's definitely a lot more cheerful than most.," the nurse retorted, then handed him a glass of water. "Here, you need to swallow these."

"Of course.," Arthur willfully took them as the nurse prepped the needle on the table. "I'm also assuming that I have to get a little shot, too."

"Yes, but I'll try and be as gentle as I can with it, is that alright?," she said.

"It won't be a problem, just asking.," he replied, but didn't anticipate her taking his arm.

"Hold on, I need to sterilize your arm first.," she said nonchalantly, her fingertips floating above the bare skin with alcohol-soaked gauze.

Both of them stayed silent as she proceeded with the injection.

"There.," she sighed, then applying a bandage. "I know that it's a lot to take in, but this will probably have to be a daily thing until the doctor sees improvement in your condition."

"Oh, it's alright.," Arthur said.

"The many painkillers will be kicking in soon, so I would suggest getting some sleep.," the nurse advised, even lightly pushing him back down the bed, much to the patient's discomfort.

"U-Uh, of course ma'am-," he restrained from losing his cool, but also surprised at their sudden proximity.

"Is there something wrong, Mr. Kirkland?," Nurse Reapere asked, genuinely concerned.

"It's nothing, and thank you.," he quickly ducked underneath the covers, much to his nurse's surprise.

* * *

><p>Erin was lucky to have an office all to herself, away from the commotion and drama of the Emergency Room. Many hours had passed since the whole incident with Arthur Kirkland's crash in the dead hours of the night. However, Dr. Jones wouldn't be the only staff member gaining a patient to take under their care.<p>

As a psychiatrist, Erin O' Bride had come across several mental disorders and diseases. However, she had never dealt with identity issues before. This proved to be quite an obstacle when she met her new patient.

Upon entering her office, he was literally shaking with anxiety and nervousness. He was rather tall, had somewhat of a muscular build, and had a strange curl that wouldn't stay put coming from the rest of his blonde hair. While waiting for Ms. O' Bride to come in, he had cleaned his glasses for the umpteenth time with his sleeve and had nearly jumped out of his seat when she entered the room.

"Hello!," she cheerfully greeted him, red locks bouncing on her shoulders. "I'm Erin O' Bride." She held out a hand for him to shake, which he did, hesitantly. "So, mind introducing yourself?"

"W-Well, that's the problem, I don't really know who I am, or how I even got here-"

"That's what I'm here for! To help YOU.," she cheerfully replied. "If you could give me a name that you'd like to be called, that would help."

"I-I don't even know if this is my real name, but I would like to be called Matthew."

_To be continued_


End file.
